Recording medium and apparatus for protecting copyrighted digital data

ABSTRACT

Copying, dubbing or reproducing copyrighted digital data can be inhibited or restricted to properly protect a copyright. AV data recorded on a pre-recorded tape is output from a reproducing unit of a first digital VCR with protective information indicating whether the copy of the AV data is inhibited or not. The protective information is input with the A/V data to a second digital VCR. Copy permission information of a blank tape loaded in the second digital VCR is discriminated and the second digital VCR records the AV data supplied from the first digital VCR based on the protective information and the copy permission information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/994,994filed Nov. 14, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,076 which is a continuationof prior application Ser. No. 08/803,359 filed Feb. 20, 1997, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,437,933, which is a divisional of application Ser. No.08/576,171 filed Dec. 21, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,486.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to digital data recording medium, AV apparatus,and AV system which can easily control the recording or dubbing of adigital signal which is supplied from, for example, a television stationor a digital VCR.

The invention also relates to a recording medium and a recording andreproducing apparatus which inhibits or restricts the recording(dubbing) and reproduction of a digital signal in order to protect itscopyright.

In a digital recording and reproducing apparatus, for example, a digitalVCR, there is hardly any deterioration of picture quality or soundquality during a dubbing (i.e., copying) process. Therefore, it isnecessary to inhibit or restrict the dubbing or reproduction of certaindata to protect a copyright. When an analog signal is input, convertedto a digital signal and recorded, copyright protective information issuperimposed in a vertical blanking period (V blanking period) of theanalog signal to inhibit or restrict the dubbing of the digital signal.

In a pre-recorded tape for a conventional analog VCR, in order toprotect the copyright, a copyright protective signal formed of aplurality of pairs, each comprising a sync pulse and a positive pulse,is superimposed in the V blanking period of the television signal. AnAutomatic Gain Control (AGC) of the recording section of a VCR is“confused” by such a signal, so that the dubbing cannot be performed.That is, in case of illegally copying a pre-recorded tape, the dubbedtape is copied so that it is unreproducible. Thus, the copyright isprotected.

A VCR for an image compression system has been studied and developed. Adigital VCR in which video and audio data are encoded, recorded andreproduced, such as the D1 component system, D2 composite system, andthe like for business or professional use have been proposed withcopyright protection. For instance, in an industrial-use digital VCR,signals such as the V blanking period and the horizontal blanking period(H blanking period) which do not represent image information are notrecorded. Namely, only signals in the useful image portion areextracted, compressed, and recorded. Upon reproduction, such image datais subjected to processes opposite to those executed upon recording, sothat the V and H blanking periods which were not recorded are added tothe processed image data and the resultant data is output as a compositevideo signal.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an AV (audio/video) system for dubbing apre-recorded tape onto a blank tape using digital VCRs. In FIG. 10, whena pre-recorded tape 101 is reproduced by a VCR 102, digital data, suchas AV data, recorded on tape 101 is supplied through a cable 103 to aVCR in which a blank tape 105 is loaded. Tape 101, recorded by acompression system used in professional digital VCRs, as mentionedabove, only contain data of the useful image portion; therefore, sincethere is no V blanking period, the analog VCR copyright protectiontechniques are not adequate when recording or dubbing signals using thedigital VCR.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a digital datarecording medium, an AV apparatus, and an AV system which easilypermits, inhibits or restricts the recording or dubbing of a digitalsignal from a television station or a digital VCR.

It is particularly desired to protect the copyright since the digitalvideo signal representing the copyrighted program does not deterioratewhen it is dubbed. Therefore, copyright protective information issuperimposed onto the transmitted or pre-recorded digital signal tothereby inhibit or restrict the dubbing or reproduction of the signal.Thus, the copyright can be properly protected.

It is, therefore, another object of the invention to provide a recordingmedium having copyright protective information to inhibit or restrictthe dubbing and/or the reproduction of a protected signal storedthereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reproducing apparatuswhich inhibits or restricts the reproduction of a protected signal basedon copyright protective information on the recording medium.

A further object of the invention is to provide a recording andreproducing apparatus which inhibits or restricts the dubbing and/or thereproduction of a protected signal based on copyright protectiveinformation on the recording medium.

There is provided a medium with copyright protective information anddigital data stored thereon. A reproducing apparatus reproduces thedigital data and outputs it to a recording apparatus during a dubbingoperation; but the copyright protective information permits or inhibitsrecording of that signal. A copy permission signal in the recordingmedium acts with the copyright protective information to permit orprohibit recording of the digital data.

Another aspect of the invention provides A/V apparatus into which themedium is loaded to perform the reproduction/record or inhibitoperation.

The copyright protective information is indicative of, for example,recording permission or inhibition; reproducing permission orinhibition; prepaid fee information for recording time information orits recording time; prepaid fee information for reproducing timeinformation or its reproducing time; royalty per unit of recording time;royalty per unit of reproducing time, etc.

The copyright protective information is stored with the digital data oron the recording medium container, and in either case the A/V apparatusreads out the information and performs the designated function.

There are provided recording apparatus, reproducing apparatus, andrecording and reproducing apparatus for using the recording medium andthe information mentioned above to record, reproduce, and dubcopyrighted information within legal bounds. Thus, an easier way tocontrol access to the reproduction of copyrighted materials is provided.

The above and other objects and features of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an AV system used for dubbing;

FIG. 2 is a table showing the relations among protective information,copy permission information, and copy permission/inhibition;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams of the reproducing and recordingsections of digital VCRs;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a digital VCR used for recording;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the digital VCR used for dubbing;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are diagrams showing methods of recording,storing or adding copy permission information or protective informationonto a pre-recorded tape or a blank tape;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D are system diagrams for recording digital TVdata;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are system diagrams for dubbing using a digitalVCR;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D are system diagrams for using protectiveinformation levels of two stages for dubbing using a digital VCR;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an AV system for dubbing a pre-recordedtape onto a blank tape using digital VCRs;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a recording and reproducing system towhich the invention can be applied;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a recording system to which theinvention can be applied;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a reproducing system to which theinvention can be applied;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing copyright protective informationsuperimposed in a vertical blanking period;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of copyright protectiveinformation superimposed in a vertical blanking period;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing the copyright protectiveinformation superimposed on digital data;

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the structure of the copyright protectiveinformation superimposed on the digital data; and

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a copyright protective information pack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be describedhereinbelow with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram ofan AV system used for dubbing AV data and protective informationrecorded on a pre-recorded tape loaded in a reproducing apparatus 1 (forexample, a digital VCR), the reproduced data being output to a recordingapparatus 2 (for example, a digital VCR). The protective information isstored in the digital data of the pre-recorded tape loaded in thereproducing apparatus or, for a transmission system, in the digitaltelevision data (DTV), which will be described later, transmitted from abroadcasting station. This protection information indicates whetherdubbing is permitted or inhibited by the recording apparatus and istransmitted together with the AV data or DTV data. Rather than alwaystransmitting the protective information, the protective information canbe transmitted when dubbing is inhibited and not transmitted whendubbing is permitted.

A blank tape containing previously recorded copy permission informationis loaded in recording apparatus 2. The copy permission informationindicates whether the AV or DTV data can be recorded onto the blanktape. For example, if the copy permission information is indicative ofpermission to copy or not onto a blank tape, copyrighted data can beproperly protected. For instance, where the protective information isnot supplied from reproducing apparatus 1 or where the protectiveinformation indicative of the permission to copy is supplied fromreproducing apparatus 1, dubbing can be executed regardless of thepermission information recorded on the blank tape. Where the protectiveinformation indicative of copy inhibition is supplied from reproducingapparatus 1, that is, when copyrighted data constitutes the reproducedAV data, the copy permission information is important. Namely, where thecopy permission information is indicative copy inhibition, the signalcannot be dubbed onto the blank tape. However, where the copy permissioninformation is indicative of permission to copy, dubbing can beexecuted.

FIG. 2 is a table showing the relations among the protectiveinformation, copy permission information, and copypermission/inhibition. As mentioned above, where no protectiveinformation is transmitted, the AV or DTV data can be copied regardlessof the copy permission information of the recording medium loaded in therecording apparatus. In addition, where protective informationindicative of copy inhibition is transmitted from the reproducingapparatus and where there is no copy permission information in therecording medium or the copy permission information is indicative ofcopy inhibition, then copying cannot be performed. Even when theprotective information indicative of the copy inhibition is transmittedfrom the reproducing medium, where the copy permission informationindicates that copying is permitted onto the recording medium, the AV orDTV data can be copied. Where copying is inhibited, the user is notifiedby using, for example, an On Screen Display (OSD) on a monitor or thelike.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams of the recording and reproducing sectionsof digital VCRs. Reproducing apparatus 1, shown in FIG. 3A, reproducesthe AV data recorded on the pre-recorded tape from arecording/reproducing unit 3 and outputs the data to a control unit 5.Protective information, previously recorded on the pre-recorded tape, isread from the pre-recorded tape by a protective information reading unit4 and output to control unit 5. The AV data and protective informationare output from the control unit.

In the recording apparatus 2, shown in FIG. 3B, a control unit 6receives the AV data and protective information, transmitted fromreproducing apparatus 1. The AV data and protective information aresupplied from control unit 6 to a recording/reproducing unit 8.

If the protective information indicates that copying is permitted or ifthere is no protective information, regardless of the copy permissioninformation stored on the blank tape loaded in recording apparatus 2,the AV data reproduced by reproducing apparatus 1 can be recorded byrecording apparatus 2.

When the protective information is indicative of copy inhibition, a copypermission information reading unit 7 reads whether copy permissioninformation has been recorded on the loaded blank tape and outputs theresult to control unit 6. Control unit 6 sends a copy permission signalto recording/reproducing unit 8 based on the copy permissioninformation. When there is no copy permission information or when thecopy permission information is indicative of copy inhibition, thereproduced data cannot be copied. However, when the copy permissioninformation indicates that copying is permitted, the reproduced data canbe copied.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a digital VCR used for recording. Thedigital VCR comprises an input/output selector 11, a tuner unit 12, arecording and reproducing apparatus 13 in which a blank tape (not shown)has been loaded, a controller 14, and a power supply circuit 15. Thetuner unit receives broadcasted DTV data and protective informationindicative of whether copying is permitted. The controller generates acontrol signal indicating that data can be recorded by recording andreproducing apparatus 13. When the protective information is nottransmitted from the tuner unit to the controller, a control signalindicating that the DTV data can be recorded regardless of the copypermission information that may be read from the loaded tape is suppliedto the recording and reproducing apparatus.

When the protective information input to the controller from the DTVdata is indicative of copy inhibition, the controller reads copypermission information from the blank tape. If the copy permissioninformation from the blank tape indicates that data can be recorded, theDTV data can be copied; whereas if the copy permission informationindicates recording inhibition, the DTV data cannot be recorded.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a digital VCR used for dubbing data from apre-recorded tape. In FIG. 5, the same component elements as those shownin FIG. 4. are designated by the same reference numerals and so are notdescribed below. Digital data and protective information from anotherdigital VCR (not shown) are supplied to a signal processing apparatus16, through an I/O selector 11. The protective information is inputtedfrom the signal processing apparatus to controller 14. The controllergenerates a control signal indicating whether the AV data can be dubbedbased on the protective information supplied from the signal processingapparatus. If no protective information or if protective informationindicating that copying is permitted is supplied, then dubbing can beperformed regardless of copy permission information stored on the blanktape.

When protective information indicative of copy inhibition is supplied tothe controller 14, the controller reads the copy permission informationfrom the blank tape loaded in recording and reproducing apparatus 13. Ifthe copy permission information indicates that copying is permitted,such information is output from the recording and reproducing apparatusto the controller. Thus, dubbing can be executed. If the copy permissioninformation indicates copy inhibition, then dubbing cannot be executed.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are diagrams showing a method of recording,storing or adding the foregoing copy permission information orprotective information to a pre-recorded tape or a blank tape. In FIG.6A, a memory device such as ROM, RAM, or the like is built into the tapecassette. The copy permission information or protective information isstored in the memory device. When the tape is loaded into recordingand/or reproducing apparatus, information data in the memory device isread by that apparatus. In FIG. 6B, the presence of copy is permissioninformation or protective information is determined by states ofdetection holes formed on the cassette. In FIG. 6C, bar codes providedon the tape cassette are discriminated by the apparatus to determinewhether copy permission information or protective information is storedon the tape. If FIG. 6D, tracks of copy permission information orprotective information are provided at predetermined positions on thetape (for example, in a longitudinal track in an upper portion of thetape). Copy permission information or protective information may berecorded throughout the entire length of tape or only in a partialinterval of the tape. The copy permission information or protectiveinformation recorded on the longitudinal track is read by a read-onlyfixed head of the apparatus. As mentioned above, by reading the copypermission or protective information in the memory device, detecting thestates of the detection holes, discriminating bar codes, or reading thetrack, the copy permission information or protective information storedon the pre-recorded or blank tape is determined. Thus, whether recordingor dubbing can be performed onto the loaded blank tape or from thepre-recorded tape is judged.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D are diagrams showing the relation between theprotective information and copy permission information when recordingDTV data. FIG. 2 is referred to in order to better appreciate thefollowing description.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when no protective information is transmitted withthe DTV data and no copy permission information is stored on the blanktape loaded into the recording apparatus, recording is permitted.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the protective information indicative of copyinhibition is transmitted with the DTV data and no copy permissioninformation is stored on the blank tape loaded into the recordingapparatus, recording is inhibited. If the protective informationindicates that copying is permitted and no copy permission informationis stored on the blank tape, recording is permitted, as in FIG. 7A.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, when no protective information istransmitted with the DTV data then the copy permission informationstored on the blank tape loaded into the recording apparatus isirrelevant and recording is permitted.

When the protective information is transmitted with the DTV data andcopy permission information is stored on the blank tape in the recordingapparatus, as shown in FIG. 7D, there are four possibilities.

First, when protective information indicative of copy inhibition istransmitted and the copy permission information is indicative of copyinhibition, recording is not possible. Second and third, when theprotective information indicates that copying is permitted and the copypermission information indicates that copying is permitted or inhibited,recording is permitted. Fourth, when the protective information isindicative of copy inhibition and the copy permission informationindicates that copying is permitted, recording is permitted. In FIG. 7D,when recording is permitted pursuant to the fourth possibility, theprotective information is recorded with the DTV data, so that similarprotection and copy permission can be maintained for the dubbed data.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D are system diagrams showing the relation betweenthe protective information and copy permission information when dubbingdata from a digital VCR.

In FIG. 8A, when a medium, such as a video tape or the like, having noprotective information is loaded into the reproducing apparatus, dubbingis permitted regardless of the copy permission information of therecording medium, such as a blank tape, in the recording apparatus.

In FIG. 8B, when the medium, such as a pre-recorded tape or the like,which contains protective information indicative of copy inhibition isloaded into the reproducing apparatus and a blank tape without copypermission information is loaded into the recording apparatus, dubbingcannot be executed.

In FIG. 8C, when a medium having no protective information is loadedinto the reproducing apparatus and a blank tape having copy permissioninformation is loaded into the recording apparatus, dubbing ispermitted.

In FIG. 8D, when a medium having protective information is loaded intothe reproducing apparatus and a blank tape having copy permissioninformation is loaded into the recording apparatus, there are fourpossible cases.

First, in the case where the protective information is indicative ofcopy inhibition and the copy permission information is indicative ofcopy inhibition, dubbing cannot be executed. Second and third, when theprotective information indicates that copying is permitted and the copypermission information indicates that copying is permitted or inhibited,dubbing is permitted. Fourth, when the protective information isindicative of copy inhibition and the copy permission informationindicates that copying is permitted, dubbing is permitted. In FIG. 8D,the protective information is dubbed with the digital data for thefourth possibility, so that similar protection and copy permission canbe maintained for the dubbed data.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D show system diagrams for dubbing using a digitalVCR when two stages or levels of protective information are used. Byallocating states or levels to the protective information, even whencopy permission information is stored on the blank tape loaded into therecording apparatus, dubbing onto the blank tape can be inhibited.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the reproducing medium, such as a pre-recordedtape or the like, with a first level of protective information is loadedinto the reproducing apparatus and a recording medium, such as a blanktape or the like, having no copy permission information is loaded intothe recording apparatus, dubbing cannot be executed.

As shown in FIG. 9B, where a reproducing medium having a second level ofprotective information is loaded into the reproducing apparatus and arecording medium having no copy permission information is loaded intothe recording apparatus, dubbing cannot be executed.

As shown in FIG. 9C, when a reproducing medium having a first level ofprotective information is loaded into the reproducing apparatus and arecording medium having copy permission information indicating thatrecording is permitted is loaded into the recording apparatus, dubbingis permitted. In this case, the protective information is recorded ontothe blank tape together with the digital data. Therefore, similarprotection and copy permission can be maintained for the dubbed data.

As shown in FIG. 9D, if a reproducing medium having a second level ofprotective information is loaded into the reproducing apparatus and arecording medium having copy permission information is loaded into therecording apparatus, dubbing cannot be executed. Protective informationof two levels is provided so that illegal dubbing can be restricted. Thefirst level of protective information is set to the same level of thecopy permission information and the second level of protectiveinformation is set to a level higher than that of the copy permissioninformation.

In the foregoing explanation, the invention uses a tape as the medium,however, the invention can also be realized with a disk or the like usedas the reproducing and recording media.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a recording and reproducing system, forexample, a digital VCR or a disk apparatus, to which the invention canbe applied. A digital VCR 201 comprises a condition judgment logiccircuit 203, a recording circuit 204, a reproducing circuit 205, andtime information forming unit 206. A condition memory 209 is providedfor a tape cassette 202 of the digital VCR. The condition memory isprepared for every recording medium capable of recording a digital videosignal. The condition memory is in a predetermined area (for instance, asubcode area) of, for example, a magnetic tape 211. Alternatively, thecondition memory may be provided in a semiconductor memory, such as aMIC (Memory in Cassette), integratedly attached to tape cassette 202. Ofcourse, the condition memory may be provided in both the subcode area ofmagnetic tape 211 and the MIC integratedly attached to the tapecassette.

In FIG. 11, an analog video signal or a digital video signal is inputfrom an input terminal 207. If the input signal is an analog videosignal, copyright protection information (bit1 to bit20) shown in FIGS.14 and 15 will have been superimposed in, for example, the verticalblanking period. If the input signal is a digital signal, for example,as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the copyright protective information willhave been superimposed in the digital data. The copyright protectiveinformation will be explained in detail later. The input signal issubjected to the usual processing by recording circuit 204 and isrecorded onto magnetic tape 211 through a recording and reproducing head210.

The following six kinds of information can be stored as copyrightprotective information in condition memory 209:

(1) information indicating whether recording is permitted or not orindicating the inhibition or restriction of recording; (2) prepaid feeinformation corresponding to recording duration information whosedubbing is permitted or to an allotted recording duration; (3)information indicating whether reproduction is permitted or not orindicating reproduction inhibition or restriction; (4) prepaid feeinformation corresponding to reproduction duration information whosereproduction is permitted or to its allotted reproduction duration; (5)information indicative of a fee category corresponding to a royaltywhich is charged per unit of recording duration of the recordingprogram; and (6) information indicative of a fee category correspondingto the royalty which is charged per unit of time of reproductionduration of the recorded data.

In the recording mode, condition judgment logic circuit 203 controlsrecording circuit 204 in the following three ways based on the copyrightprotection information in condition memory 209. (1) When there is noprotective information indicative of dubbing inhibition or restrictionin the input signal, normal recording of the input signal by recordingcircuit 204 can be performed. (2) When the protective information isindicative of dubbing inhibition or restriction and there is noinformation indicating that recording is permitted in the conditionmemory, normal recording of the input signal by the recording circuitcannot be executed. For example, recording may be inhibited or disruptedby distorting the operation of the recorder AGC, or the input signal tothe recorder may be scrambled, or descrambling of the reproduced inputsignal may be inhibited, and the like. (3) If protective information isindicative of dubbing inhibition or restriction in the input signal andinformation in the condition memory indicates that recording ispermitted, normal recording of the input signal by recording circuit 204can be performed in accordance with the recording time information orthe prepaid fee information corresponding to the recording duration.When the input signal is recorded, the copyright protective informationin the input signal is stored in the condition memory and/or apredetermined area of magnetic tape 211, the latter being different fromthe condition memory.

In place of the copyright protective information in the input signal,copyright protective information regarding the input signal can also beinput to condition judgment logic circuit 203 from outside of thedigital VCR.

In the reproducing mode, condition judgment logic circuit 203 controlsreproducing circuit 205 in the following two ways based on the copyrightprotective information in condition memory 209. (1) When protectiveinformation is not present in the condition memory to indicate whetherreproduction is permitted or not or to indicate reproduction inhibitionor restriction, normal reproduction of the recording signal byreproducing circuit 205 can be performed. (2) When protectiveinformation is present in the condition memory and indicates whetherreproduction is permitted or not or is indicative of reproduction orrestriction, normal reproduction of the recording signal by thereproducing circuit can or cannot be performed depending upon whetherthe reproduction duration information or the prepaid fee information.The foregoing inhibition or distorting techniques may be used to preventreproduction.

The control operation of condition judgment logic circuit 203 whereprotective information in the input signal is indicative of dubbinginhibition or restriction but protective information is present in thecondition memory to indicate that recording is permitted will now bedescribed.

It is now assumed that the recording duration information is set to RT0and the prepaid fee information corresponding to the recording durationis set to RM0 in the copyright protection information. It is alsoassumed that the royalty, which is charged per unit of time thecopyright protected input signal is recorded, is set to RCi (i=1˜n:n≧1). The royalty RCi can be set to a single value. Also, differentroyalties RCi can be charged for every pre-recorded program, such that,for example, the royalty is set to a high value for recently releasedmaterial, such as a software program, video-tape or the like, while theroyalty is set to a low value for material which has been released for along time, or the like.

The input signal with a royalty equal to RCi, which is recorded for acertain duration RT1, will now be described. The recording duration RT1is obtained by time information forming unit 206. A royalty RCP which ischarged for the duration RT1 is obtained by the following equation.RCP=RCi×RT 1

When the recording is completed, the recording duration information orthe prepaid fee information corresponding to the recording duration inthe copyright protective information in condition memory 209 isrewritten. The rewriting of RT0 or RM0 can be performed once at the endof the dubbing or can be performed at a predetermined time interval. Therecording duration information RT0 is rewritten by the followingequation.RT 0−RT 1 RT 0When RT0 is determined for a certain RCi (i≠1) and the input signal hasa different RC1, the recording duration information RT0 is converted andrewritten as follows.RT 0−(RT 1×RC 1/Rci) RT 0

The prepaid fee information RM0 corresponding to the recording durationis rewritten as follows.RM 0−RCP RM 0When RT0 or RM0 is equal to 0, dubbing is inhibited or restricted. Thus,normal recording of the input signal cannot be performed.

Condition judgment logic circuit 203 discriminates whether RT0 or RM0 isequal to 0, therefore, RT0 or RM0 can be used as information indicatingwhether recording is permitted or not or indicating recording inhibitionor restriction.

The recording duration information RT0, the prepaid fee information RM0corresponding to the recording duration, and the royalty RCi (i=1˜n:n≧1) charged for the recording duration of the copyright protected inputsignal can be replaced by information RT0 indicative of the number oftimes the data is permitted to be recorded, the prepaid fee informationRM0 corresponding to the number of times the data is permitted to berecorded, and the royalty RCi (i=1˜n: n≧1) charged for the number oftimes the copyrighted protected input signal is permitted to berecorded, respectively.

Upon dubbing, the royalty RCi charged for the recording duration theinput signal or the royalty input from outside of the digital VCR can bestored to the condition memory as information indicative of a feecategory corresponding to the royalty of the pre-recorded program.

Further, the royalty RCi charged per unit of time the input signal isreproduced or the royalty input from outside of the digital VCR can bestored to the condition memory as information indicative of a feecategory corresponding to the royalty of the pre-recorded program.

The operation of condition judgment logic circuit 203 where protectiveinformation is present in the condition memory to determine whetherreproduction is permitted or not or whether reproduction is inhibited orrestricted will now be explained.

It is assumed that the reproduction duration information is set to PT0and the prepaid fee information corresponding to the reproductionduration is set to PM0. It is also assumed that the royalty which ischarged for the duration of the reproduction of the copyright protectedinput signal is set to PCi (i=1˜n: n≧1). The royalty PCi can be set to asingle value. A plurality of royalties PCi also can be set to allowdifferent royalties to be charged for every pre-recorded or broadcastprogram so that, for example, the royalty is set to a high value for arecently released program and the royalty is set to a low value forprogram which has been released for a long time, or the like.

In this instance, the input signal whose royalty is PCi is reproducedfor a duration PT1. The reproducing duration PT1 is obtained by durationinformation derived from time information forming unit 206. A royaltyPCP which is charged for the duration PT1 is obtained as follows.PCP=PCi×PT 1

When the reproduction is completed, the reproduction durationinformation or the prepaid fee information corresponding to thereproduction duration of the copyright protective information isrewritten. The rewriting of PT0 or PM0 can be performed once at the endof the dubbing or can be performed at predetermined time intervals. Thereproducing duration information PT0 is rewritten as follows.PT 0−PT 1 PT 0When PT0 is determined for a certain PCi (i≠1), and the input signal hasa different PC1, the reproducing duration information PT0 is rewrittenas follows.PT 0−(PT 1×PC 1/PCi) PT 0

The prepaid fee information PM0 corresponding to the reproductionduration is obtained by the following expression.PM 0−PCP PM 0When PT0 or PM0 is equal to 0, reproduction is inhibited or restricted.Thus, normal reproduction of the recording signal cannot be executed.

Condition judgment logic circuit 203 discriminates whether PT0 or PM0 isequal to 0 or not, therefore, PT0 or PM0 can be used as informationwhich indicates whether reproduction is permitted or not or whichindicates reproduction inhibition or restriction.

The reproduction duration information PT0, the prepaid fee informationPM0 corresponding to the reproducing duration, and the royalty PCi(i=1˜n: n≧1) charged per unit of time the copyright protected inputsignal is reproduced can be replaced by the information PT0 indicativeof the number of times the signal is permitted to be reproduced, theprepaid fee information PM0 corresponding to the number of times thesignal is permitted to be reproduced, and the royalty PCi (i=1˜n: n≧1)charged for the number of times the copyright protected input signal ispermitted to be reproduced, respectively.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a recording system, for example, a recordingsystem of a digital VCR, to which the invention can be applied. Adigital VCR 201 is comprised of condition judgment logic circuit 203,recording circuit 204, and time information forming unit 206. Tapecassette 202 of the digital VCR has condition memory 209. Those portionshaving the same reference numerals as in FIG. 11 have similarconstruction and function, therefore, their descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a reproducing system, for example, areproducing system of a digital VCR, to which the invention is applied.Digital VCR 201 is comprised of condition judgment logic circuit 203,reproducing circuit 205, and time information forming unit 206. Tapecassette 202 of the digital VCR has condition memory 209. Thesecomponents correspond to those designated by the same reference numeralsin FIG. 11 having the same construction and functions, and therefore,their descriptions are omitted.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are diagrams which show copyright protective informationsuperimposed in the V blanking period of an analog video signal. Thecopyright protective information is a signal of 20 bits which issuperimposed in the V blanking period. A reference bit is providedbefore the signal of 20 bits.

As shown in FIG. 15, the signal of 20 bits is constructed by word0 ofsix bits, word1 of four bits, word2 of four bits, and CRC of six bits.Basic parameter and identification ID information regarding atransmission formation are inserted at word0. Bits indicating thepresence or absence of copyright protection and indicating whether thesoftware is original or not are included at word1. For example, thethird bit of word1 indicates the presence or absence of copyrightprotection. When the third bit is equal to “0”, copyright protection ispresent. When the third bit is equal to “1”, there is no copyrightprotection. The fourth bit of the word1 indicates whether the softwareis original or not. When the fourth bit is equal to “0”, there is nodesignation. When the fourth bit is equal to “1”, the software is arecorded software which was commercially released. A category code ofthe apparatus is inserted in the word2.

FIGS. 16A, 16B and 17 are diagrams which show copyright protectiveinformation superimposed on a digital video signal. As shown in FIGS.16A and 16B, a dubbing number restriction code 212 consisting of onebyte is inserted in the head portion of main data 213 and 214 in animage data block VB and an audio data block AB, respectively. In thedubbing number restriction code, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, thehead bit is a check bit indicating whether the software is copyrightprotected or not, the next two bits contain data indicative of thepresent number of dubbing times and the remaining five bits containclassification data indicating whether a source of the image data is atape, a disk, or a broadcast program.

For example, if the image and audio data are copyright protected and thesource is a magnetic tape which has already been dubbed once, dubbingnumber restriction code 212 is “101XXXXX” (the XXXXX indicates that thecategory code is set to a “don't care” state).

FIG. 18 is a diagram which show copyright protective information storedin condition memory 209. The copyright protective information isdescribed by, for example, a pack structure. The “pack” indicates aminimum unit of a data group and each pack is constructed of five bytes.The first byte is a header and the remaining four bytes contain data.The eight bits of the header are divided to four upper bits and fourlower bits, to form a hierarchy structure. Although a fixed length offive bytes is set as the basic length of the pack structure, a structurehaving a variable length can also be used.

The four upper bits (D00) of PC1 contain information indicative of a feecategory corresponding to the royalty charged per unit of time forrecording a pre-recorded program. Sixteen dubbing fee categories can beexpressed in those four bits.

The four lower bits (D01) of PC1 contain information indicative of a feecategory corresponding to the royalty charged per unit of time apre-recorded program is reproduced. Sixteen reproduction fee categoriescan be expressed in these four bits.

Byte PC2 indicates recording duration information or prepaid feeinformation corresponding to the recording duration. The recordingduration information or the prepaid fee information corresponding to therecording duration can be expressed by the bits (D02) of PC2 within arange 0 to 255 times as large as a unit of time for recording or a unitprepaid fee.

Byte PC3 indicates reproduction duration information or prepaid feeinformation corresponding to its reproduction duration. The reproductionduration information or the prepaid fee information corresponding to itsreproduction duration can be expressed by the bits (D03) of PC3 within arange 0 to 255 times as large as a unit of time for reproduction or aunit prepaid fee.

The four upper bits (D04) of PC4 contain information indicating whetherthe recording is permitted or not or indicating recording inhibition orrestriction. Thus, the presence or absence of the copyright protectionand, for example, the number of times the signal is dubbed can beexpressed.

The four lower bits (D05) of PC4 contain information indicating whetherthe reproduction is permitted or not or indicating reproductioninhibition or restriction. Thus, the presence or absence of thecopyright protection and, for example, the number of times the signal isreproduced can be expressed.

Although an example of the digital VCR has been described so far as arecording and reproducing system, the invention can also be similarlyembodied in a disk apparatus or a recording and reproducing system usinganother recording medium.

According to the invention, permitting, restricting or inhibiting therecording or dubbing of digital data can easily be controlled by usingprotective information and copy permission information. The copyrightcan be further protected by using multiple stages or levels ofprotective information. Thus, although a broadcast video image can beseen on a television or a monitor, the recording of the video image canbe controlled. By recording the protective information of the originaldata with the data when copies are made, similar protection/copypermission can be maintained even when the dubbed/recorded contents arerecorded or dubbed again.

According to the invention, permission, inhibition, or restriction ofthe dubbing of the information signal can be effectively performed atthe time of recording by using the recording permission information usedto determine recording permission, a recordable duration of theinformation signal, or the number of times the information signal ispermitted to be recorded and copyright protective information indicativeof the fee for recording a predetermined unit of time of the informationsignal or the number of times the information signal is permitted to berecorded stored in the recording medium.

Even if the fee for recording a predetermined unit of time of theinformation signal or the number of times the information signal isrecorded is set so as to be different for every information signal, aroyalty for the dubbing of each information signal can be correctlycharged.

According to the invention, the reproduction of the information signalcan be permitted, inhibited or restricted effectively at the time of therecording using the reproduction permission information to determinereproduction permission for a reproducible duration of the informationsignal or the number of times the information signal is permitted to bereproduced and copyright protection information indicative of the feefor reproducing the information signal for a predetermined unit of timeor the number of times the information signal is reproduced stored inthe recording medium.

Even when the fee regarding the reproduction for a predetermined unit oftime of the information signal or the number of times the informationsignal is reproduced is set so as to be different for every informationsignal, a royalty for the reproduction of each information signal can becorrectly charged.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments butmany modifications and variations are possible within the spirit andscope of the appended claims of the invention.

1. A method for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of: receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and classification data for classifying the digital data; and inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received controlling information.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of updating at least a portion of said received controlling information upon decoding of the digital data.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said classification data.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the classification data.
 8. A system for copying an encoded digital data stored in the first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: receiving means positioned within said first apparatus for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and classification data for classifying the digital data; and means for inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received controlling information.
 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 10. The system according to claim 8, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising updating means for updating at least a portion of said information upon decoding of the digital data.
 13. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said classification data.
 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the classification data.
 15. An apparatus for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, the storage medium further including information received from a remote site for controlling reproduction of an encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced and classification data for classifying the digital data, comprising: a control module for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received controlling information.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said digital data is copied to the recording medium after decoding.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said classification data.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the classification data.
 20. An apparatus for controlling copying a digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: a control module for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and classification data for classifying the digital data; and for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received controlling information.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said classification data.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the classification data.
 23. A method for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of: receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and prepaid fee information indicating whether a predetermined prepaid fee has been paid; and inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received prepaid fee information.
 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 25. The method according to claim 23, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 27. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of updating at least a portion of said received controlling information upon decoding of the digital data.
 28. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said prepaid fee information.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the prepaid fee information.
 30. A system for copying an encoded digital data stored in the first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: receiving means positioned within said first apparatus for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and prepaid fee information indicating whether a predetermined prepaid fee has been paid; and means for inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received prepaid fee information.
 31. The system according to claim 30, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 32. The system according to claim 30, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 33. The system according to claim 30, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 34. The system according to claim 30, further comprising updating means for updating at least a portion of said information upon decoding of the digital data.
 35. The system according to claim 30, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said prepaid fee information.
 36. The system according to claim 35, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the prepaid fee information.
 37. An apparatus for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, the storage medium further including information received from a remote site for controlling reproduction of an encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced and prepaid fee information indicating whether a predetermined prepaid fee has been paid, comprising: a control module for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received prepaid fee information.
 38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said digital data is copied to the recording medium after decoding.
 40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said prepaid fee information.
 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the prepaid fee information.
 42. An apparatus for controlling copying a digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: a control module for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and prepaid fee information indicating whether a predetermined prepaid fee has been paid; and for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received prepaid fee information.
 43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said prepaid fee information.
 44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the prepaid fee information.
 45. A method for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of: receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and fee category data indicating a fee category of the digital data; and inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received fee category data.
 46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 47. The method according to claim 45, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 48. The method according to claim 45, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 49. The method according to claim 45, further comprising the step of updating at least a portion of said received controlling information upon decoding of the digital data.
 50. The method of claim 45, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said fee category data.
 51. The method of claim 50, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the fee category data.
 52. A system for copying an encoded digital data stored in the first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: receiving means positioned within said first apparatus for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and fee category data indicating a fee category of the digital data; and means for inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received fee category data.
 53. The system according to claim 52, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 54. The system according to claim 52, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 55. The system according claim 52, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by recording apparatus.
 56. The system according to claim 52, further comprising updating means for updating at least a portion of said information upon decoding of the digital data.
 57. The system according to claim 52, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said fee category data.
 58. The system according to claim 57, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the fee category data.
 59. An apparatus for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, the storage medium further including information received from a remote site for controlling reproduction of an encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced and fee category data indicating a fee category of the digital data, comprising: a control module for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received fee category data.
 60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 61. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said digital data is copied to the recording medium after decoding.
 62. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said fee category data.
 63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the fee category data.
 64. An apparatus for controlling copying a digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: a control module for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and fee category data indicating a fee category of the digital data; and for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received fee category data.
 65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said fee category data.
 66. The apparatus of claim 65, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the fee category data.
 67. A method for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of: receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and information indicating whether the digital data is original or not; and inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 68. The method according to claim 67, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 69. The method according to claim 67, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 70. The method according to claim 67, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 71. The method according to claim 67, further comprising the step of updating at least a portion of said received controlling information upon decoding of the digital data.
 72. The method of claim 67, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 73. The method of claim 72, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 74. A system for copying an encoded digital data stored in the first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: receiving means positioned within said first apparatus for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and information indicating whether the digital data is original or not; and means for inhibiting decoding of the digital data on the basis of the received information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 75. The system according to claim 74, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 76. The system according to claim 74, wherein copying of the digital data is permitted after decoding.
 77. The system according to claim 74, wherein the digital data is recorded onto the recording medium by a recording apparatus.
 78. The system according to claim 74, further comprising updating means for updating at least a portion of said information upon decoding of the digital data.
 79. The system according to claim 74, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 80. The system according to claim 79, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 81. An apparatus for controlling copying an encoded digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, the storage medium further including information received from a remote site for controlling reproduction of an encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced information indicating whether the digital data is original or not, comprising: a control module for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 82. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein the recording medium is loaded on a recording apparatus.
 83. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein said digital data is copied to the recording medium after decoding.
 84. The apparatus of claim 81, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 86. An apparatus for controlling copying a digital data stored on a storage medium in a first apparatus onto a recording medium, comprising: a control module for receiving from a remote site information for controlling reproduction of the encoded digital data, the information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted, the number of times the digital data may be reproduced, and information indicating whether the digital data is original or not; and for inhibiting decoding of the digital data to the recording medium on the basis of the received information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying of the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is based at least in part upon said information indicating whether the digital data is original or not.
 88. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein at least one of said information indicating a number of times copying the digital data is permitted or the number of times the digital data may be reproduced is modified upon a modification of the information indicating whether the digital data is original or not. 